Power window failure

[stephen]

it is with GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT to tell you all that my E46's rear power windows have BOTH just failed !!! The car seems to be falling apart this year, starting with ignition coil failure in April ....and a humble Perodua's lasts longer! As I wound down & then up both rear power windows to get some hot air out of the car, there were cracking sound. Both rear windows could not be wound up. Had to push them up manually. .... my car is only less than 3 years old & for a premium marque like BMW to have such problems is unacceptable, making me consider "defecting" to other luxury brands. Audi is better built i heard.What's with these E46's f#@*ing power windows? Does this problem happen as often to E36s and E30s?

 

[3er]

Its a common prob on the E46.

 

[mini_jeff67]

Seems like everythings' a common problem on the E46! So far so good, mine's been OK... fingers and toes crossed and double crossed!

 

[k3nny]

In my humble opinion, every marque has its problems.

With my parents Merc, the E230 in 1996, the first of the roundlight ones, the rear headrest can drop down with the press of a button.. well that stopped working one day and it costed more than RM1k just to get it working again.

The windows in the front wouldnt go down all the way.

The temperature display in the instrument cluster would show --.-- after the 1st year of ownership until time of sale. Never resolved by Cycle and Carriage.

Fuel guage wouldnt go all the way to full even though the tank was full.


As far as my E46 is concerned, yea, the transmission slips for almost 15 - 20 seconds on a cold morning and even longer on exceptionally cold mornings. Its alarming.

The car makes erratic and random noises which drives me nuts.

The instrument cluster lit up like a christmas tree quite awhile back when trying to start but taking the key out of the keyfob and popping it back in and trying to start again and it worked. Freaked me out though.

And yea, last but not least, my left rear window switch broke.

Plus a myriad of other things.. it happens.. get it fixed under warranty or goodwill i guess...



Else, no choice but to pay for it and maybe consider buying different brand?
I know Honda's are great when it comes to build.. Audi as well..

 

[3er]

Originally posted by k3nny@Jun 19 2005, 12:03 AM
In my humble opinion, every marque has its problems.

...

Plus a myriad of other things.. it happens.. get it fixed under warranty or goodwill i guess...

...

I know Honda's are great when it comes to build.. Audi as well..

Not quite. I have my fair share of problems with my 2000 Honda Accord on the first delivery, some of which have never been resolved. Goodwill? It doesnt exist for Honda despite being a loyal customer for nearly 2 decades.

Like you said, every marque has their problems. Notice the common trait? They are all locally assembled.

 

[Bruce_Z]

Originally posted by 3er@Jun 18 2005, 10:27 PM
Its a common prob on the E46.

It is a common problem for E46...so take heart. Another thing to watch on the E46 are the front suspension joints - they dont last. This is a common problem as its also reported in TopGear magazine (www.topgear.com).

 

[E46Fanatic]

I've learnt to accept it as all part of the BMW ownership experience. Was very upset at first when things starting to fall apart before the car even turned 3 yrs old, then now I'm kinda numb to the fact and just waiting for the next "common" problem to happen to my car.

For my power window case, I had mine changed 3 times total. 2 times goodwill warrranty @ AB, the 3rd time it was too much of a hassle and I just got it fixed at stuttgart.

 

[stephen]

have not gone to fix problem yet but still need to drive car around. It irritates me further when on bumpy roads, the window slides down by half an inch or sometimes an inch. Went home to get some temporary solution to hold the window to prevent sliding down & getting rain into the car.

What an embarrassment to own a luxury car & having to resort to such measures!

 

[Chauffeur]

Hi,

happened to me oledi, 2 times, both back passenger seat, cost me RM380 each.

Tips from the mechanic: Don't open the window to the max, only 2/3 will do, so it can last longer...donno whether it works or not, but no harm applying....

 

[jarance]

Originally posted by stephen@Jun 19 2005, 03:26 PM
have not gone to fix problem yet but still need to drive car around. It irritates me further when on bumpy roads, the window slides down by half an inch or sometimes an inch. Went home to get some temporary solution to hold the window to prevent sliding down & getting rain into the car.

What an embarrassment to own a luxury car & having to resort to such measures!

steven what is the thing that is holding the glass up. it like like a sex toy.. sorry the pic is a bit blur..

 

[wkwoo69]

No problems on my old E36. Front driver was starting to be inconsistent, sometimes can go up sometimes not. Possibly electrical, as hitting the button repeatedly would bring it up in time. Then again, its 10 years old so fair enough.

 

[musclehedz]

Originally posted by wkwoo69@Jun 29 2005, 06:34 PM
No problems on my old E36. Front driver was starting to be inconsistent, sometimes can go up sometimes not. Possibly electrical, as hitting the button repeatedly would bring it up in time. Then again, its 10 years old so fair enough.

I think the E36 has got less problems compared to E46 IMO from so many observations from so many owners.

 

[jarance]

Originally posted by musclehedz+Jun 29 2005, 05:45 PM-->QUOTE (musclehedz @ Jun 29 2005, 05:45 PM)

 

[wirelessjunkie]

The power window regulators for your Bimmer are seriously expensive. I replaced 3 in my E39 previously. OUCH

 

[MeanStreak]

Originally posted by jarance+Jun 29 2005, 06:10 PM-->QUOTE (jarance @ Jun 29 2005, 06:10 PM)

 

[jarance]

Originally posted by MTek1318+Jun 30 2005, 09:21 AM-->QUOTE (MTek1318 @ Jun 30 2005, 09:21 AM)

Originally posted by jarance@Jun 29 2005, 06:10 PM

 

[musclehedz]

Originally posted by wirelessjunkie@Jun 29 2005, 09:55 PM
The power window regulators for your Bimmer are seriously expensive. I replaced 3 in my E39 previously. OUCH

What's the PW Regulator for?

 

[cks4888]

Hi Chauffeur,

My e46 having the same problem..Where do you replace yours ? Can you let me know ?

Some guy quoted me RM440.00..

Thanks

 

[3er]

Since the rears are seldom used can you swap with one of the rears?

 

[Juan Powerblow]

I used to find it strange that E46F's car which is oni 2 weeks older than mine had experienced 3 failures before my front driver window failed. It costed me RM480 (incl. labor cos the front parts are more expensive than the rear). It was more disappointing to note that the entire lifter or regulator assembly was in fact intact except for a flimsy small plastic part which broke! For that piece of plastic, I had to part with so much $$$. Yucks!